One of my friends submitted a letter to the Akron Beacon Journal that was published today. The letter deals with Ken Blackwell, Ohio Secretary of State, and a phone campaign in support of Issue 1, the gay marriage initiative on the Ohio ballot.
I had not heard this before and find it outrageous that a Secretary of State should engage in such blatant conflict of interest bahavior. I have heard there are efforts under way to petition for Blackwell's resignation. But, I don't have any details.
The letter is found below.
Excerpted from The Akron Beacon Journal
Voice of the People
Monday, November 15, 2004
Ken Blackwell's conflict of interest
Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell wants to be a Republican candidate for Ohio governor in 2006. His penchant for unethical conduct must be stopped now. Blackwell is the man in charge of protecting the sanctity of our elections and who was entrusted with protecting the right of Ohioans to vote, something that was never more dear to us than on Nov. 2. Yet this same man held a subversive role as the Ohio campaign co-chair for George W. Bush.
That conflict alone is reason to cast a dark shadow over Ohio's eerie results. Yet this regressive Republican went even further than that: He sent prerecorded messages into 3.3 million households that said, ``Hi, I am Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell and I encourage you to get out and vote yes for Issue 1.'' He sent out similar bulletins to 17,000 churches.
How on earth can the man in charge of protecting our elections be allowed to get away with influencing the way our citizens voted?
Make no mistake: Voter turnout for Issue I killed the Kerry vote. And this outcome was manufactured long ago by the regressive Republican machine that put this on the ballot in the two key states of Ohio and Florida. If Issue 1 got you out to vote, then you played into the hands of these operatives who would alter the Constitution for political gain. Congratulations.
Laura Kammermeier
Kent, OH